The Reawakening
by advidartist
Summary: They failed the first time. Everything just went south from there, until they couldn't fix anything that was broken. Until a mysterious force intervenes. He better set in right because not everyone gets a second chance. Zutara!
1. Prologue

**The Reawakening**

**Prologue**

It saddened the former Prince of the Fire Nation that the last thing he would see in his life was the darkness of his cell, and the last thing he would feel was the cold air that surrounded him.

He knew his minutes were numbered and in full honesty he wasn't ready to accept death. But then again the choice was not his own. It was his father's, his father that sentenced him to die by the drinking of the fatal poison.

It wasn't that long ago when the guards of his prison forced the bitter liquid down his throat and it wasn't long at all before pain engulfed his senses and the line between dreams and reality became a blur.

Before giving in to the surprisingly blissful darkness he remembered the guards cuffing his limbs down onto a wooden table that they had laid him on. So when his soul had passed his corpse would be laid out perfectly for the sages to prepare him for burial.

The final occurrence he witnessed before passing was the sight of an aged woman with long silver hair and green eyes that were so bright they seemed almost yellow. They probably were yellow, he just couldn't tell because the poison had begun to affect his eyesight.

She bent over him and whispered words into his ear. Her words made his eyes widen. Part of him didn't trust this woman and another part didn't believe what she said was possible.

He felt his breath beginning to shorten as pain continued to surge through every corner of his body. He knew his time had come.

He heard the old woman mutter words in a language he did not know. As the words passed through her lips he felt the pain he was in begin to lessen.

It was then that he believed her. But could he trust her? Would this mysterious woman keep the promise she made?

He felt her cold fingers press against the sides of his face. He found it oddly comforting as he struggled for air as the poison suffocated him. He then heard her say, "Sleep now Prince Zuko, fight another day."

Those were the last words he heard before a deep dark sleep claimed him.

* * *

Minutes later a small group of fire sages entered the room to prepare the former royal for burial. When they entered the room their eyes fell on the aged woman chanting prayers in a different tongue, while standing above the young prince that lay deathly still.

Their eyes widened and their jaws dropped in shock, not believing their own eyes.

The old witch's eyes averted from the Prince to the sages, a grin soon spread across her wrinkled face. "Do not be afraid," she spoke. "Go and tell the world to not be afraid. For hope will rise once more out of the ashes of a broken world. Do not be afraid. For things have been set right and the gears and cogs are beginning to turn. Hope will rise and a tyranny will fall in this world and in ours. Do not be afraid. But for now we wait."

With that being said she disappeared like dust in the wind. The sages blinked their eyes several times, trying to register what had happened as a dream or reality. But deep inside they all knew that even though Prince Zuko now lay dead in front of them, his life and destiny was just beginning.

* * *

A/N: Confused? Good you should be. But you will find out what all this is about when the chapters are eventually uploaded. Its a mystery to everything will eventually unfold. But just so you know this story is based off entirely or maybe just different circumstances. I got the idea for it when me and my brother were having one of our many ZutaraXKataang debates, or arguments to be more precise.

So anyway i would love to hear what you think. Comments, questions, concerns, anything at all, I would be happy to hear it... I mean _read_ it.

FYI: I am in the midst of finishing another fic so, depending on the feedback of you readers, I do not know when I will be updating this fic. Even though I am really excited too work on it.

So, thank you for reading thanks a bunch for reviewing. (i think I'm going to try to make that my new motto!!)

-See ya!!


	2. Chapter 1: Lost

**The Reawakening**

**Chapter One**

**Lost and Found**

"Katara look out!" shouted Aang.

Upon hearing these words Katara turned around to see a fireball heading straight toward her. She ducked and fell to the ground, feeling the heat from the blast whiz over her head. She soon heard Fire Nation troops close in on her. Instinctively she summoned water from the moist grass and used it to strike the Fire Nation soldiers closest to her. Seeing her chance she then hurried out of her position on the ground and bolted, trying to keep up with the rest of the group.

All four of them ran for what seemed like hours through the forest. They ran and ran and ran, until they no longer heard the pounding footsteps of soldiers behind them. When they reached a safe clearing they all collapsed onto the soft ground from exhaustion.

All of them had more then one reason to hate the recent turn of events. Ever since they had lost the invasion on the Day of Black Sun, they found themselves forced to continue to blend in with the populace of the Fire Nation once more. Except this time the Fire Nation was aware of the avatar's return and was much more suspicious of the people that claimed to be from the "colonies". They could hardly go a week without blowing their cover and having soldiers chase them far from civilization. They were thankful that they hadn't been apprehended yet. Though there were wanted posters for their arrest up all over the place.

They were very close to going along with Sokka's original plan of hiding in cave after cave, and eating cave hoppers for food. Because of the circumstances it was the last thing that they would consider. They considered hiding out in the Western Air Temple, but Aang had said that the last time he was there they found him within the first couple of days and an old fire nation friend; some of the other men, and him were nearly killed.

The three of them wanted to ask of the circumstances and see if they would be any different, but they could tell by the look on Aang's face that he didn't want to talk about it, it would be too painful for him.

A hundred years ago Aang traveled the world and made many friends from different nations, mastered the art of fire bending, attempted to defeat the Fire Lord and failed, and while escaping from the Fire Lord got frozen in an iceberg where Sokka and Katara found him a hundred years later. Besides parts of that and parts of his younger years they didn't fully know what happened. Whenever they asked he would just plain ignore the question or make an excuse. All in all he told them what he experienced a hundred years ago was a painful experience, one that would take a long time to recover from.

Once all of them had caught their breath they reluctantly stood up and began to try to maneuver through the dense and vast wood. But it didn't take long for them to realize that even though they had lost the soldiers they had gotten themselves lost in the woods. They wandered for what seemed like hours, using Toph's abilities to see if she could locate the cave where they had hidden Appa, Momo, and all their supplies earlier. But not even Toph's senses could locate anything that even remotely resembled a cave.

"Toph are you sure that you don't see anything?" asked Sokka for the millionth time.

"For the final time Snoozles I don't see anything that hints at where we camped last night," said Toph annoyed. "The only thing I see are more and more trees…and a small stream over in that direction," she said pointing to a thick brush of thick green leaves and vines.

Sokka who was exhausted, hungry, and had aching feet said, "Well then, since its getting late, why don't you put your earth bending to some good use and make us all a tent to hunker down in for the night."

"Works for me," exclaimed Toph as she cracked her knuckles and widened her stance into a bending position.

"No Toph don't," cut in Aang, with a warning tone in his voice.

"Why not?" asked Toph confused as she relaxed her rigid stance.

"Because Fire Nation soldiers are on our tale and if they see an unnatural rock structure they'll know it's us and will be able to keep tracking us. We are trying to loose all of the soldiers, not leave a trail behind for them to follow," explained Aang as he slumped beneath a large tree, tired from the long day.

Katara stared at Aang, worried about him as always. Ever since they had come to the Fire Nation, she couldn't help but notice how the light in Aang's grey eyes would fade, sometimes completely go out when the past would be mentioned. Yet she wanted to know what happened. Every time it was brought up her curious mind would be brimming with questions, but every time Aang would turn her down.

Moving her blue orbs to the sky she saw that it was darkening and the moon was beginning to appear. "So why don't we just camp out here for the night, Toph will be keeping watch, Aang will get a fire going, Sokka will forage for some berries and not nuts, and I'll try and get some fish from that stream Toph mentioned," Katara plainly suggested. Everyone silently nodded and began their various tasks, despite how tired they all were.

Katara passed through the thick brush, making her way toward the stream that Toph had mentioned, while getting some of her long brown tresses tangled in the branches. When she emerged from the brush she was surprised to find that it was a small spring, fed by a stream and drained into another stream of the same size. She relished in the beautiful sight, long graceful reeds grew around the small pool that held crystal clear water. While a graceful willow tree stood proudly on the far edge, it's long hanging branches swaying in a gentle breeze.

The peaceful sight caused a small smile to grace Katara's lips for the first time in a while. Approaching the edge of the spring she removed her sandals and was about to hoist up her skirt for wading, when she realized that it would be easier if she swam. So instead she removed her skirt, red top, necklace and hair ornaments, before entering the crisp cool water. It didn't take her before she was completely at ease, being that she was surrounded by her native element and it was a refreshing break from the constant humidity of the Fire Nation.

After several quiet moments of peaceful meditation a grumble in her stomach told her that it would be time to eat soon. Pulling her hair back out of her face she made her way toward the area where the stream fed into the spring. It was a small waterfall, complete with smooth and slippery stones. She stood underneath the waterfall letting the water cascade down across her face. She couldn't remember the last time she was this relaxed.

It was then that she thought about how hectic her life had become ever since she had met Aang. First the three of them were chased all the way around the world by the infamous and ruthless Admiral Zhao who only met his death at the North Pole. Then chased around the Earth Kingdom by several hired bounty hunters, and threatened by the Dai Lee. On the upside they won the Earth King's support, only to see it fall along with the rest of the Earth Kingdom, much thanks to the bounty hunters and Fire Nation spies. Not wanting to think about the past any longer she plunged herself under the water and began her hunt for some decent sized fish for supper.

Within a half hour she had found four decent sized fish, froze them where they swam and retrieved them with her hands. Not wanting to leave the peaceful spring she reluctantly made her way toward the bank. It was when she was climbing out the water that something unexpectedly sharp jabbed the soul of her foot. She fell forward onto the grass and dirtied her bare midsection with mud while dropping the fish that she held in her arms.

Katara cursed in every word she knew as she righted her self. After inspecting her throbbing foot and had found no injury her eyes scanned the mud of the bank for the source of her foot's pain.

It was then that she saw it. A small curved point made of now tarnished bronze stuck out of the mud of the bank. To her it looked like an animal's claw from where she saw it, but knew that wasn't the fact since the rest of the object was buried in the mud.

With her curiosity brimming she dug whatever it was out of the mud. Part of her was hoping that it would be something valuable that could fetch them some much needed money at the market. By the time she dug it out and cleaned the mud off she recognized it as a small hair ornament that she had seen fire nation men wear on their topknots. She could tell that only a man of high rank would wear it, which only increased its value, even though the paint on it was nearly gone and what was left of it was faded and the bronze was in need of some heavy polishing.

Despite all of that something told her that good things would come if she kept it. So after she had dressed she tucked it securely into her belt, then gathered up the fish and headed back to the camp.

()()()()()()()()()()

Katara listened to the fire crackle as it roasted the fish she had gathered earlier. The sound was somewhat comforting to her, despite the irony it held. Overhead the sky was a deep navy blue with white powdered stars sprinkled across its surface as well as holding a waxing crescent moon.

The gang all sat close to the fire, seeking its warmth in the chilly night, as well as the comforting smell of their dinner. Amidst the silence Sokka picked up one of the skewered fish and gently prodded it with his fingers checking to see if it was done.

Katara found her fingers running up and down the smooth edges of the ornament she had tucked into her belt. Looking at Sokka she could tell that the fish weren't done yet so she pulled it from her belt and looked at the small object with the help of the firelight. Over and over she rolled it around in her hands inspecting every detail no matter how insignificant. She found herself lost in her own thoughts, thinking about whom this object once belonged to. As if fate had commanded it the ornament fell from her hands and onto the grass in front of her close to the fire. It was then that she noticed an inscription on the inside of the loop that served as the object's base. It read, "Property of the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation."

Whether she wore a look of surprise or not she didn't know. Her thoughts now consisted of questions such as, "How did a royal artifact end up where I found it?" She now found herself almost scared to touch it as if it was covered in blood or poison, since it was the royal family that was responsible for this war and the murder of millions.

"Hey Katara where did you find that?" Aang's voice piped in, almost making her jump.

She stuttered for a second before answering, "In the stream where I caught the fish."

"Can I look at it?" asked Aang his eyes shining with curiosity as he extended his hand, his palm open.

Katara dropped the object into his hand. Holding it up to the firelight the young avatar looked at it carefully. "Well I'll be," he began. "An old friend of mine had something just like this," he continued as he stared at the object fondly while turning it over in his hands.

"Your Fire Nation friend from a hundred years ago?" asked Sokka starting to munch on some fish. "The one that taught you fire bending?" asked Sokka except this time with his mouth full.

Katara watched Aang's eyes grow sad as she took one of the skewered fish for herself, instantly feeling bad for finding that object in the first place. As she began to quietly eat her fish she saw Aang look into the ring of the ornament and saw his eyes widen out of surprise, it was then she knew he had found the inscription.

Moments passed and Aang did not speak or make any sound, but when he did he said, "Yes, the one that taught me fire bending and more importantly…this ornament at one point belonged to him."

Katara was shocked at what she heard. The Fire Nation man who helped Aang a hundred years ago was the Fire Nation's own crown prince, the flesh and blood of the very men who started the war. Even though she knew Aang wasn't one to lie she found it very hard to believe, having come to believe that all people of the Fire Nation where evil, especially those that started and participated in the war. But could it be possible that Aang's friend was an exception? Even so she found it very hard to say yes, as thoughts of her long lost mother resurfaced in her mind.

"Well it's good that you found a memento of him to hold close to your heart," said Toph in her usual sarcastic manner, having already choked down her share of fish and was now wiping the crumbs from her mouth on her sleeve, oblivious to what Katara knew and what Aang felt.

Aang let his gaze fall to the ground and sat there looking sullen until Katara told him that he should eat something. But he just shook his head and lay down on the grass close to the fire, burying his head in his arms and clutching the ornament in his fist. They all knew that when they saw Aang this way it would always be best if he was left alone. Eventually the fire died and everyone else soon joined Aang in the peaceful oblivion of sleep.

()()()()()()()()()()

Katara found herself being shaken awake the next morning and opened her eyes to find Aang leaning over her his eyes pleading with her to wake up. "Aang what is…" she began only to be cut off by Aang shushing her and gesturing to Sokka and Toph who where still asleep. Understanding him she got up and began to stretch out her stiff limbs when Aang grabbed her wrist and dragged her from the clearing through the brush to the stream.

"You said you found it here correct?" Aang asked gesturing at the small pond. Katara nodded, curious as to where Aang was going with this.

Aang turned from her and stared at the stream muttering to himself, "The water is flowing west so the source comes from the east and we need to head upstream."

With that he began to follow the stream east with determination in his stride. Katara, questions filling her mind, followed him.

Aang walked at very steady pace as if the usually patient young monk had finally lost his patience. Katara was nearly running trying to keep up with him. After several minutes Katara asked, "Aang where are you going? What are you looking for?"

Without breaking his stride Aang answered, "I need to find him Katara! I need to know what happened to him! He sacrificed himself so I could live to end the war and I never found out what became of him! This is his hair ornament and it's the only clue I have of what happened to him and I'm not going to pass up a chance like this!"

Katara heard the sadness in Aang's voice and his words resurfaced the question she asked herself the night before: Could it be possible that Aang's Fire Nation friend from a hundred years ago was an exception from the rest of his nation?

She still found it hard to say yes to the question, mostly because she had never met and probably will never know this person. But she learned more about this man in the past few hours then in the years Katara had known Aang. She began to feel thankful for this supposed 'crown prince' because whoever he was he had saved Aang's life and it was because of him Aang was here with her.

She picked up her pace and caught up with Aang who was now more determined then ever to follow the stream to its source. Aang clutched the ornament in his fist the entire way through the forest as the stream became smaller and smaller as they walked.

Once the sun was high in the sky they finally reached the source of the stream, which was now a small trickle coming out from under a large boulder and seeping into the grass. Aang stared at the boulder not quite sure what to think of it. Walking towards it he began to inspect it and walk around it, studying it.

Katara, thinking that they had reached a dead end said, "Aang there are hundreds of ways that the ornament could have ended up in that pond. I could see why you thought that it was carried downstream by the current but there are other ways it could have ended up there."

"I know Katara; you think that I didn't consider that? But right now I am closer to him then I have ever been in the past one hundred years," said Aang his voice full of emotions.

"What are you saying Aang? This is just a boulder in the middle of a forest," said Katara confused.

"No it's more then that. This boulder marks the entrance to the tomb of past Fire Lords and other Fire Nation royalty," said Aang staring up at something through the trees.

Katara was confused and stayed where she stood. When Aang saw the confused look on Katara's face he said, "Come and look here."

Katara did as Aang told her and looked in the direction of where Aang pointed, staring through the gap in the branches of the trees. She saw a tall majestic mountain with gray and black stone that looked freshly polished in the sunlight. She expected the top to come to a point but instead the top half seemed to be cut clean off at a slight angle. It was a dormant volcano.

"I recognized this mountain the moment I saw it. He showed it too me once a hundred years ago. This is the mountain where generations of his family are buried and since the stream lead me here it's probably where he is buried too. I can't believe I didn't realize it sooner. We are in the eastern sector of the Fire Nation and Fire Nation royalty always bury themselves in or near the most eastern volcano. So that way they are closest to the sun when it rises everyday while also being near to the inner fire of the earth," Aang explained to Katara, a small flicker of pride in his voice.

"But how can they bury themselves in a volcano?" Katara asked as she watched Aang approach the boulder once more, astounded at what he had just told her.

"They dig tunnels and chambers for them and their family throughout the volcano, over time the inside of the volcano becomes a maze of tunnels and secret passages," answered Aang as he grazed his hand over the boulders rough surface.

Katara soon realized that Aang wanted to enter the tomb and search for his friend. But from what Aang had just told her she was afraid that they would get lost within the 'maze of tunnels and secret passages' and would have left Toph and Sokka to wonder about what happened to their friends. Of the many things Katara feared one of her big ones was their small family being separated.

As Aang searched the boulder Katara started to voice her concerns but was cut off as Sokka and Toph came barging through the forest towards them both exhausted and had heavy breath. "Where…were…you two?" Sokka said through heavy breaths as he fell forward onto the grassy ground.

"Snoozles was worried sick! We were afraid something had happened to you guys! What where you guys doing?" demanded Toph.

Aang turned away from the boulder and said, "I'm sorry guys I just couldn't wait that much longer. I've waited for years to find out what happened to him and thanks to Katara I think I may have finally found him."

Sokka sat up from his position on the ground and glanced back and forth between Aang and the large boulder behind him. "And you think this giant rock is going to help you?" asked Sokka clueless to the significance the boulder held.

"Yes actually, this boulder is the entrance of his family's tomb. He showed me how to get in once because we used it as a hiding spot at one point. If only I can remember how he opened it," said Aang turning back to the boulder once more, trying to remember how to open the door way.

"Here let me see," said Toph walking up to the boulder and placing both her hands on the rough stone, concentrating hard on looking into the rock. After several moments of silence Toph stepped away from the rock, confusion etched across her face. "This is odd rock. I can't see as clearly as I usually can. It's as if it has air inside it and it gives me just a blurry picture," said Toph confused and somewhat shocked.

"Oh yeah, that's because this is volcanic rock. Molten Lava that solidified in the air. It has air bubbles in it, that's why you can't see as clearly," explained Aang. Toph just crossed her arms and said, "Well that sucks. It's as if we are in the desert again. I hate the desert!"

Aang stared at the boulder feeling so small compared to it and its massive size. He stared at it for several moments hoping that the entrance would open up right in front of him. But no matter how he wished he knew it wouldn't happen.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, feeling the eyes of his friends upon him. Telling them to stand back he conjured up his inner flame and let the fire pulsate through his veins. Something told him if he fire bended for several moments the answer for how to get in would come to him. He began to fire bend and go through the basic and all too familiar form his friend taught him long ago. As he ended the form he saw it, the key to the entrance, carved into the rock of the boulder, in the shape of the royal family insignia. With the fire pulsating through him he unleashed a wave of fire at it and watched it glow a bright red out of the gray rock.

As he let his inner flame cool, the insignia still continued to glow. Sokka, Katara, and Toph stood silent behind him, slightly stunned and waiting to see what would happen next. It remained silent for several minutes, then suddenly out of the silence a loud bang was heard from behind or under the boulder. It was so sudden it made everyone jump. But the sound was followed by a series of thumps, creaks, and cracks. As if machinery was running after years of laying still.

Then a patch of grass not far from Aang began to groan and began to slowly fall away from the rest of the ground while spitting out several clouds of dust. The entrance had opened.

It was a metal trap door that had been covered with dirt and allowed grass to grow on top of it. So over the years it became completely camouflaged with the rest of the forest floor. But now it hung open, revealing a narrow passageway of stairs that led deep into the ground. The entrance was pitch black and held an eerie feeling that reached every member of the group.

Aang walked toward it and was about to enter it when he turned to his friends and said, "I'm going to go find him. I'll understand if you don't want to come." They all exchanged glances for several seconds and they knew they where going to help Aang no matter how scary or dangerous it seemed.

Soon Aang was making his way down the dark passageway followed by his three friends, into The Tomb of the Old Lords.

* * *

A/N: well first off im sorry it took me so long to update this story. life got busy and this chapter became long and hard. but dont worry! one of my number one rules as a writer is never abandon a story that you started, by which i mean published. i am excited to write this story and its probably my most epic yet. but the thing is i have the basic and main plot down while most details and subplots are a little fuzzy. dont worry cause everything will work out eventually.

are you still confused? if you ask i just might answer it through private messaging. till then please comment let me know what you think. i love feedback! and i love all of it!

i'll start working on the next chappie soon, in other words i have no idea when i'll update again cause life is getting busy again and i am juggling a couple other fanfics as well.

Thanks for reading thanks a bunch for reviewing!


	3. Chapter 2: Tomb of the Lost Lords

**The Reawakening**

**Chapter 2**

**Tomb of the Lost Lords**

The young teens found the darkness of the tomb oppressive. The only light came from the small flame in Aang's palm, which everyone clung to like it was a lifeline. They slowly and quietly made their way through the narrow hallways, as if they ran the risk of waking the dead. They passed elaborate doorways that bore the names and statues of long forgotten Fire Lords. Aang stopped and examined each one, hoping that it would be the one he was looking for. But sadly none of them where, since the dates of their reigns where over 200 years ago. But nevertheless they continued to make their way through the dark and damp hallways, not realizing that the hallways where becoming more and more of a maze.

"Didn't we just come this way?" asked Sokka, gazing at the now familiar statue of a long dead Fire Lord.

"I don't think so," said Aang, holding his flame high. "What do you think Toph?"

"I don't know, I can't tell, everything I see is fuzzy, there's no clear path from my view," she said, aggravated at her lose of sight.

"Maybe we should go back Aang, he could be in a different place," said Katara in your usual sympathetic tone.

"Katara we are lost. At this point there is no going back, we can only go forward," said Aang as he continued to make his way down the corridor, the rest of the group following close behind.

He stopped at a statue of what appeared to be a tall man, clad in elegant robes, the crown of the Fire Lord adorned his head followed by long hair, and a long goatee coming off of his chin. You could tell by the detailing of his face that he died an old man, and even though he was long dead and gone his gaze emitting from the statue was enough to make the group cringe in fear.

Katara wanted to keep moving, there was something about this man that chilled her to the bone, but yet Aang remained, observing the inscription that the statue bore. "Aang can we keep moving this man is giving me the creeps?"

"Not yet Katara, I think I found where he is," said Aang

"What do you mean?"

"This is Fire Lord Ozai, the most evil and cruel man I have ever known and yet its also his father," replied Aang.

Before anyone could say anything he shot a piece of the flame in his palm into the insignia in the middle of the statue's chest. It quickly glowed a bright red then died away and soon a secret door right next to the statue slid open. Aang proceeded in without a second thought, the others had no choice but to follow him.

The air within the room was thick and musky and even darker then the hallway outside. Aang managed to make out a lamp and light it. Within seconds the whole room sprang up with light to reveal an elaborate tomb, a tomb that was truly fit for a king.

The walls where covered with murals, gold, and jewels that sparkled from the light. In the center of the room sat his coffin, which was by far the most elaborate thing in the room. The lid consisted of a statue of him that was covered with gold and embroidered with red rubies. Around the coffin sat various treasures which consisted of everything valuable; from porcelain vases to silk to even more golden treasures.

"He may have been evil but he sure knew value when he saw it," said Sokka as he picked up a small golden trinket to examine.

"That is because he taxed his people till they couldn't pay taxes anymore, it was one of the reasons why he started the war. So he could continue his luxurious lifestyle," said Aang narrowing his eyes at the coffin.

"So if this man was so evil then why was his son such a great friend of yours?" asked Toph, feeling the trinket Sokka had picked up with her small fingers.

"He was nothing like his father, if you asked him he would say he hated the man and his father hated him as well," he said sucking in a breath preparing to resurface the painful memories of many years ago. He slowly continued, "After the invasion failed very few of us escaped from the soldiers. Me and him where of the few. We made our way to the Western air temple hoping we would find shelter. Within a matter of days they had found us, It was more then obvious they where looking for me. But...he...shit! I can't even remember his name! He gave himself up to the soldiers so I could get away. The last time I saw him he was surrounded by soldiers fighting a hopeless battle, ready to surrender as I flew away on Appa unnoticed."

He paused and took in another pained breath. "Its because of him I am alive Toph, he sacrificed himself for me so I, the Avatar, could live. He had his own set of problems but he put those aside for the fate of the world, that's why he was such a great friend of mine and that's why I need to find him, so I can pay him my final respects."

Katara stared at Aang surprised, for he had never told them that story before, just scattered bits and pieces of it. She was also more compelled then ever to find out who this person, this man was. What was his name? The question boggled her mind and only heightened her curiosity. "What do you think happened to him after he was caught?" she found herself asking.

Sokka know bored with the trinket tossed it back on the ground and said, "Well its obvious he was captured and taken prisoner, but after that all sorts of possibilities open up. He could have been executed shortly after, as well as tortured to give away Aang's new location, or even just thrown into a cell and forgotten about till his spirit passed."

Katara shot her elder brother a look because of the insensitive way he had just spoken. "What?" he shot back, not sure what he did wrong. Then he noticed the pained expression on Aang's face. Sokka now regretted what he said, so he embarrassingly sighed and leaned back on the cold wall behind him. Katara turned back to Aang and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, as tears pricked the young monk's eyes.

She searched her mind for something comforting to say to him, but her thoughts where interrupted when she heard Sokka let out a sudden, loud yelp. She instantly turned her eyes to the spot on the wall where she had last saw her brother, he was gone. As if he never stood there. She then quickly scanned the rest of the chamber but Sokka was nowhere. He had vanished.

Katara felt the panic rising in her chest. "Sokka?" she yelped. "Where are you?" She was met with no answer.

Aang, putting his own feelings aside, began to inspect the wall where Sokka was last seen. It looked like just an ordinary wall. "Toph do you see anything?" asked Aang, as Toph placed both her palms on the wall, listening to the earth.

"Yeah I think I see something. It looks like some sort of tunnel, that leads somewhere below this chamber," said Toph even though the molten rock still impaired her vision.

"Do you see Sokka anywhere?" asked Katara

"No the tunnel cuts off, Snoozles might be at the end of it by now."

Aang grazed his palm against the polished rock of the wall feeling for what triggered the tunnels opening. He soon found it when he pressed upon a stone that gave in under Aang's strength. As the stone was pushed a section of the floor gave way underneath Aang, which he was able to avoid falling down into thanks to his air-bending.

"Well now we know where Snoozles went. Who wants to go first?" she said with a grin.

"I'll go," said Aang. "I'll make sure its safe."

Aang once again pushed on the stone and the passageway re-opened. But just as Aang was about to jump down into the hole something came over Katara. She felt herself pushing Aang away and jumping down into the hole herself, then flying down through darkness and landing on a muddy surface, or at least what she hoped was mud.

The air of the new room she was in was even more thick then before, but felt moist, and was even more dark. "Sokka?" she called out hoping her brother was near.

"Katara?" she heard her brother answer back, allowing relief to wash over her.

"Are you hurt?" she asked. Only to be answered with, "Are you?"

"I take it your not then Sokka?"

"Don't worry sis, I'm fine," said Sokka through the darkness. "Where are the others?"

As if on cue Aang's voice was heard through the darkness, followed by Toph's asking where the water tribe siblings where. But before questions where answered a bright flame from Aang's palm lit up the room.

As Katara's eyes adjusted to the new light she found that the four of them where in a small, plain room. It's walls where made of rough stone that where poorly cemented together, allowing droplets of water to pass through. The floor was regular dirt and was thick, slimy mud. There was a plain coffin built up against the far wall. Compared to the King's tomb up above it looked as if it was a simple peasant's tomb. But either way it was someone's resting place.

"Whose tomb are we in now?" asked Sokka staring at the coffin.

"I don't know," said Aang,"but he had to be connected to Ozai in some way, why else would a secret passage of his tomb lead to this one."

Katara's eyes where glued to the coffin as if a supernatural force was pushing or pulling her towards it. She slowly stood up from her spot in the ground and made her way over to it, her sandals slashing in the mud as she walked. Aang too approached the coffin and began to inspect it carefully. Katara found herself doing the same.

The coffin had splotches and clumps of dried and even wet mud stuck all over its surface. It soon occurred to both of them that this tomb occasionally flooded, which explained the presence of mud and water.

Katara put her water-bending to use to clean to mud off the coffin, mostly out of respect to clean this person's resting place. But Aang was looking for something, an inscription of some sort, carved into the stone of the coffin. As Katara cleaned away the dirt of one of the sides she found an inscription, which she recognized as a person's obituary.

"Aang I found something," she voiced as she finished cleaning off the mud. Within a matter of seconds Aang was where she was, intently reading the inscribed words.

"What did you find?" asked Sokka, clearly bored since he found he was of no use to what Katara and Aang wanted done.

"I think we found who this person is," said Katara as she watched Aang read, his shoulders slouching more and more as he read. "Aang, whats wrong?" she asked.

"I found him, Katara," he said choking back tears. "I finally found Zuko."

()()()()()()()()()()

_Here lies Zuko, former Crown Prince of the Fire Nation_

_Born on the summer solstice in the 56th year of the reign of Fire Lord Azulon  
_

_Apprentice to the Dragon of the West_

_Master Fire-bender and Swordsman_

_Incarcerated for Treason_

_Sentenced to Live Burial on the first full moon in the 13th year of the reign of Fire Lord Ozai_

_Surpassed by father, uncle, and younger sister_

_Age: 17_

()()()()()()()()()()_  
_

Katara didn't know what to think of the obituary. Here he was, the very same man that had helped Aang a hundred years ago. She thought his obituary made him sound like a criminal, who just happened to come from royal blood. But he wasn't a criminal, he was a hero who saved Aang. She knew that there had to be much more to him then what the eight lines of the obituary mentioned. Yet she felt desolate knowing that she would never be able to figure out those parts of him. She began to wonder what he looked like. Did he have a resemblance to his father's statue above or did he take after another member of his family.

She was jerked from her thoughts when a sob from Aang filled the room. "Its not fair," she heard him mutter. "Why did he die while I lived 100 years longer? Why did I run and hide while he was being executed?"

"Aang you had no way on knowing what happened to him then. You just have to remember that he wanted you to live," said Katara trying to comfort him in the best way she could.

Aang wiped the tears from his eyes as he stood up and headed toward the coffin once more. This time he did not clean or inspect but he pushed on the air-tight stone lid of the coffin, trying to open it.

"What the hell are you doing twinkle toes?" asked Toph shocked at what she felt her friend doing.

"I need to thank him Toph and I can't do it through stonework!" he nearly shouted back at her.

"Listen Aang, do you have any idea what he will look or smell like by now? If you do open that coffin it will not be pretty," said Sokka placing a comforting hand on Aang's shoulder.

"Sokka's right Aang, remember him as he was, not what he has become," said Katara, standing beside her brother.

Aang shook Sokka's hand of if him as he continued to push and shove at the motionless coffin lid. "I don't care," he said. "I need to give it back to him, its rightfully his!"

Having said that the coffin lid jerked open a crack and the gang braced themselves for an overwhelming rotten odor, but surprisingly none came. With his nimble fingers gripping the stone he continued to push and shove until the coffin was open wide enough to get a good look at the person that lay within.

As Aang gripped the hair ornament in his fist he slowly brought his other hand that held the flame over the opened coffin. "Hey buddy!" Katara heard Aang say, tears choking his voice. Katara slowly came up behind Aang and peered over his shoulder into the coffin. Her breath instantly caught in her throat. She was expecting to see a decayed corpse, but instead she saw a perfectly preserved body, as if he had died just yesterday or even a few hours ago.

Shaggy jet black hair hung in front of his still face. His clothes once high quality linen, where now ratty and torn. His arms where crossed across his chest, fists clenched and wrists bound in thick heavy rusted chains. He looked calm, if not peaceful, as if he had suffered no pain in his execution. Katara found him rather handsome and could tell he was very fit, even though he had been dead for a hundred years.

She was drawn out of her thoughts when she heard Aang sniffle and loudly swallow. She cursed herself for forgetting that he was grieving. She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder as he slowly pried apart one of Zuko's fists and slid in the hair ornament before closing the dead fingers over it, gripping it. "Thanks Zuko, thank you for everything," said Aang before walking away from the coffin.

Katara remained with the dead man as the others searched for a way out. As she stood over him she felt obligated to thank him as well. She slowly lowered her face into the coffin and pressed her lips to his cold still ones. As she pulled away she couldn't help but notice a slight tinge of red in his pale cheeks. "Thank you," she said. "Thank you for helping Aang and the rest of the world."

Having said that she closed the coffin lid and walked away towards the rest of the gang, just as Toph was saying, "I think I found a way out of here."

()()()()()()()()()()

"What's happening?" he asked.

"You are being awakened, do not be afraid," a voice answered him.

"It feels so odd."

"Everything is going as planned, do not be afraid," the voice answered again.

He sucked in a pained breath of stale air, his limbs felt stiff and unresponsive. He shuddered at the cold air that suddenly surrounded him, having felt nothing for...he didn't know how long. He willed his eyes to open but couldn't tell if they where open or closed, everything was so dark.

"Do not be afraid, go and seek she who awakened you. Destiny will be achieved," said the voice, sensing his discomfort.

"How do I know if its really her?" he asked.

"Trust me, my prince. You will know."

* * *

A/N: and there you have the second chapter! Did you enjoy?

For future reference it will take me awhile to crank these out. I am a busy person who enjoys writing fanfictions...and other leisure activities. But since I am a busy person I hardly have time for any of them, especially now at this point in my life and at this time of year. So please stick with me. I love writing for you all.

Now the story is starting to pick up a little pace! YAYY! I loved writing this chapter! So Please let me know what you think so I can make the next chapter more awesome for you all!

Thanks for reading! Thanks a bunch for reviewing!

-HAPPY HOLIDAYS!XD


	4. Chapter 3: The Never Loved

**The Reawakening**

**Chapter 3  
**

**The Never Loved  
**

Katara awoke to darkness and cold hard stone, if it wasn't for the warmth of her friends that huddled close to her she would have believed she was a resident of the tomb. She slowly sat up and stretched, the cold air having sunk into her bones making them stiff and creak when she moved. She longed for the open air of the outside world, and the freedom nature possessed. She felt so claustrophobic, it seemed to drive her insane and she prayed she wasn't slowly losing her mind.

They had found a way out of Zuko's tomb, only to be lost again in the maze of the burial's tunnels. Every Fire Lord statue they passed seemed to gaze down at them menacingly, making the group cower in the darkness. They wanted to get out and fast, but despite their misery, fear, hunger, and anxiousness no blamed anyone, not even Aang.

They all stood from the spot where they had chosen to rest and continued on their way. After a few hours it dawned on Sokka that they where going in circles. "Okay that's it! We have passed this creepy fire guy statue about five times already! How are we supposed to get out if we are going in circles?"

"Don't look at me," said Toph. "I'm half blind because of this volcanic rock, I'm doing the best I can to get us out of here."

"This is hopeless!" stated Sokka, banging his head against the wall moaning for food.

"Well destroying your brain isn't going to get us out of here and it isn't going to get you food either. Our best chance is to just keep calm and carry on," said Aang as he picked up a loosed stone and scratched a visible X onto the wall. "If we see this again then we know we are going in circles, lets just keep going."

Sure enough as they made their way down the tunnels turning this way and that, they eventually came across the X again. The whole gang suppressed their groans.

"Alright lets just be careful where we walk and take a different turn this time," said Aang while Toph whispered, "We're all going to die here!"

Proceeding through the tunnels once more, Katara lagging behind the group lost her footing for some reason and stumbled to the ground. Her whole body felt limp and cold, as if a spirit had hold of her and was using her like a rag doll. She somehow managed to stand again, but by that time her friends had disappeared from view and she found herself lost and alone in the darkness. She wanted to call out, to scream for them but her throat refused to make words.

She started to panic, she didn't know what was wrong with her. She wanted to blame the continuous growl in her stomach, but she had been hungry several times in the past and nothing like this had ever happened before. She blamed the darkness, the tomb that represented death in every shape and form. She sank back to the ground in despair, her energy quickly draining from her body. It was the only thing that kept her from pushing forward and finding her friends.

Her mind swirled with thoughts that never concerned her before, especially those concerning love. She loved her family and her friends but this was an entirely new love, the kind of love that married couples shared. She knew that if she was home in the either of the water tribes her father or grandmother would have already arranged a marriage for her with a water tribe man. Part of her was thankful for once that she was far from home but another part of her, a part that she barely knew, longed for that kind of love. Her life was so chaotic at the moment that she had never thought of a boyfriend or having a relationship. It was then that she realized that she had never loved before, and she felt a a weight in the pit of her empty stomach grow.

It was in those moments that she realized she wasn't alone. At first she thought it was just another ghostly presence, like the statues that glared at her when she passed them. But then she heard footsteps, soft footsteps, that where coming closer and closer towards her. She quickly dismissed the possibility that they where her friends, since it was only a single pair of feet.

Fear set in, not knowing what was approaching her. She tried to scramble to her feet but her limbs refused to cooperate and she remained on the ground, completely helpless and alone. But yet she did not give up, all that ran through her mind in those moments was that she had to stand up and she had to run and run fast.

Pain shot through her system and she let out a yelp. It wasn't external pain, the pain she experienced when wounded in battle, but internal pain as if her insides where on fire. She couldn't explain it nor know its source, all that she knew was that it hurt a lot and that she felt as if she was leaving this world and going to the next. She felt like she was drowning, being dragged down to the bottom by heavy weights, being tossed and tasseled like a lifeless doll all for the amusement of a superior being. Just as she felt herself about to slip away she felt strong hands grip her biceps and pull her back into the world and up from the ground on which she lay.

The cold that had sunken into her bones over the past hours had begun to slip away, all that she knew was that she was being held up by a strong and warm person. She slowly opened her eyes to be met with bright golden eyes that resembled that of a dragon. She flinched in fear and surprise, but once she realized the person was human she calmed slightly. But who was this man who helped her and who still now held her.

She gazed at him and he gazed at her, silence being the only sound with fear and nervousness in both their hearts. Katara gazed at him, trying to identify him. She knew she had seen him somewhere before but she couldn't remember where. She didn't doubt the fact that he was handsome. Realization came to her and when it did fear gripped her heart and throat like it never did before. For the man that held his gaze on her was the man she saw in the tomb of Aang's friend, Zuko, who was alive and breathing as she was.

She wanted to panic, to scream, to run, because a person who was presumed dead only hours ago was standing right in front of her holding her with heat radiating off of him, but yet she didn't because something told her that he wouldn't hurt her, he only wanted to help her.

His face was blank in the darkness, but his bright eyes where calm and somewhat sleepy. Katara had no idea what he was going to do and it worried her. "What do you want?" she finally managed to say.

She was met with silence and soon a scurry of footsteps coming down the hall toward them, her friends where searching for her. "Thank you," was all she heard from him as his hands disappeared from her arms and the light of his eyes vanished in the darkness.

The light of Aang's torch soon found her and she squinted from the sudden brightness. "There you are Katara, we where worried sick we thought we lost you," Katara heard her brother say.

"Well its a good thing you found me," she said shakily, as the cold crept back into her body.

"Are you alright? You look as if you've seen a ghost," stated Aang.

"I think I just did."

()()()()()()()()()()

_"Tell me what did you think of her"_

"She was just as you described, beautiful."

_"Is that all? Are you certain you want her? She will be good for you, you who have never loved."_

"I'll know that when I know her. She looked as if she was dying when I found her."

_"You saved her how noble. You know why she almost died, it will be up to you and you alone to stop that. If you fail everyone fails, we will, they will, and she will especially_."

* * *

**A/N:** so what do you think? Like it? Love it? Not sure what to think about it? Hate it? Either way let me know cause I absolutely love reviews, good and bad! Next chapter should be up around the next month or so, no hating if I miss a deadline cause my life can get pretty chaotic. Love you all for reading, love you more if you leave a review!


	5. Chapter 4:Dead Man Walking

**The Reawakening**

**Chapter 4**

**Dead Man Walking**

_He was a ghost wasn't he?_

Katara ran those thoughts through her mind again and again. Trying to convince herself that what she saw, that what she felt wasn't real. That it was all just a dream, a figment of her imagination.

But the warmth from his hands, his body, his breath, the strength and firmness in his grip, and especially the brightness of his golden eyes. They all left his mark on her, they where all too real in her memory.

She was without a doubt shaken to her very core. She didn't know what was going on. A dead man was breathing once again and the living, especially her, where barely able to breath themselves. She found herself shivering and hugging herself with her arms. Her friends only stared at her, concern carved into their expressions. Little did they know that a dead man was walking throughout the tunnels of the tomb.

"Katara?" Sokka asked. "Is everything alright?"

She barely heard him, her eyes where fixated on the ground in front of her, lost in their own thoughts.

Saving his questions for a later date, Sokka calmly placed his hands on his sister's shoulders saying, "Come on Katara, lets get out of here. I'm afraid your losing it."

He gently pushed her forward, until her feet where automatically walking by themselves. Yet even as she walked among her friends who where consistently trying to get through to her, she remained silent.

It wasn't until a beam of bright sunlight met her eyes that she gazed upward. They had reached the surface and more importantly, the land of the living.

She found her feet breaking into a run, along with the rest of the gang. Fresh air circulated throughout their senses, the sunlight warmed their skin, the grass soft beneath their feet, and a cool breeze whistling through their hair. For the first time in days they felt alive, they felt free.

After several moments of basking in the sunlight they collected themselves and made their way back through the forest, towards their camp, and their animal friends.

()()()()()()()()()()

Light flickered across his vision. He felt compelled to smile, to run towards the light and his long awaited freedom. But his legs where still readjusting to the basic movements of walking and the sunlight was foreign to the darkness embedded in his eyes.

He slowly made his way toward the exit, reveling in the sun's growing warmth and the renewed fresh air that circulated throughout his senses.

Climbing up through the exit the traitor prince felt as if he was stepping into a long lost world, a world he had been taken from long ago. His eyes squinted in the sunlight, soft grass brushed against his bare skin, and the coldness creaking in his bones began to slip away.

His legs, weak from years of misuse gave out from under him and he found himself sprawled out in the grass, the sunlight beaming down on him. As he took several slow deep breaths he realized that he was no longer a dead man, he was alive and would remain so. It was that simple thought that kept him content.

Spotting several footprints in the ground near him he found his feet once more. Gripping the handle of his sword to steady himself he followed the footprints through the brush of the wood. He had an avatar to find.

* * *

A/N: well sorry this took so long. technical difficulties. I wrote out the entire chapter and when I saved it it didn't save anything whatsoever. So i had to retype the entire chapter again, which was a total pain. I hate retyping anything, cause when I do it comes out shorter and a lot worse. Which brings me to apologize for the quality of this chapter.

I will update again around next month, hopefully the next chapter will be more to your satisfaction. Thanks for reading and please pretty please let me know what you think by leaving a review! Love you all! see you soon!


	6. Chapter 5: Royal's Melancholy

**The Reawakening**

**Chapter 5**

**Royal's Melancholy**

A large fire burned in an ornate fire place, trimmed with brocades of gold and tiles of deep red hues. Heavy black curtains hung over large windows, forbidding the brightness of day from entering. The only source of light came from the fire within the room, as was common in most rooms of the Fire Nation Palace. The room was very decorative and formal and above all dark.

A large plush chair sat in front of the fire, a hand shriveled with age hung across the chair's arm. Long manicured nails flicked across one another, impatiently waiting for a messenger's news. The chair's occupant, adorned in red robes of silk, had waited years for this.

Was the witch's prophecy true? Or was it all just an elder who had lost her wits?

The truth would arrive soon and with it the aged royal's destiny. She had waited nearly a hundred years. She had betrayed and killed, securing her place in hell for a few more years of life, a life that had already become her hell.

The strength and beauty of her youth had long since disappeared, it was now only preserved the numerous portraits of her. The portraits she despised looking at. They only reminded her of what she had become: a withered corpse that miraculously still held breath.

Even the best of healers could only do so much for the weakened form and the pain it caused on the living soul. Not too mention the pain of the human heart.

But to her the end justified the means; it always would if her nation's greatness was on the line.

A middle aged man marched into the room and knelt beside the chair, kissing the aged hand in greeting.

"News from the eastern sector has arrived grandmother."

"And what have you come to tell me," an aged voice responded.

"My gravedigger exhumed your brother's tomb. It appeared that it had been flooded in the early spring, so the exhuming turned into an excavation."

"What did he find?" she questioned, her patience thinning.

He paused, fearing his grandmother's wrath despite her age.

"Well?" she asked once more.

"He believes that what was left of your brother's body was washed away in the flood. Nothing was left in the room except mud and an empty coffin. Though your father's tomb was untouched," he gently explained.

"Was the coffin open?"

She was met with silence.

"WAS THE COFFIN OPEN?"

"Yes grandmother. My gravedigger found it ajar," he responded, trying not to flinch or show fear.

Now he was the one to be met with silence.

"Grandmother?" he asked.

"Leave me," she answered.

"But…"

"That's an order!"

He stood and left without question, leaving his elder alone in the bleak room once more. He worried and wondered why his grandmother would put so much time and effort into knowing the whereabouts of her brother's corpse.

Wasn't she the one who always said that his great uncle brought shame to the Fire Nation and their family and wasn't worth the dirt in which he was buried?

The man was never spoken about outside his grandmother's room, and even then his name was never mentioned. All records of him where destroyed long before his own father, the former Fire Lord, was born.

These simple facts only made him silently question his grandmother more. What harm could a man who has been dead for a hundred years bring to his country?

He marched briskly down the halls, accompanied by his guards. He neared the end of a hallway, a curtain was pulled aside and he entered the council chambers.

Men rose to their feet, saluting him in greeting. "All hail Fire Lord Kenzin!" they shouted.

Taking his seat on the dais the fire in front of him sprang to life, formally announcing the start of the meeting. "General Ying, your report!"

An aged white-haired general stood and began his intelligence report. "Our intelligence officers have confirmed sightings of the avatar and his followers in the eastern sector of the country, for several days our spies where able to follow them rather easily, until they lost track of them deep within the eastern forest, not far from the Great Eastern Mountain."

The Fire Lord's eyes widened. What was the avatar doing near the tomb of his ancestors? Why hadn't his gravedigger told him of this? Then again his gravedigger wasn't a spy; he was merely a pawn that was due for assassination in a few hours.

He tried to calm the thoughts racing through his mind. He didn't expect his general to know that his spies where near the tomb. The location of the tomb of the Royals was a long kept secret, mostly just to prevent grave robbing, and for many other reasons as well. After all, his family had a history of burying their secrets and their shames with them, his great-uncle being one of them.

General Ying soon finished his report. Then another took his turn, informing the Fire Lord of the rebellion's progress and the movements of the troops abroad in the Earth Kingdom.

"How goes the occupation in the Water Tribes?" he asked after awhile.

"The natives have been surprisingly cooperative, but yet our men say they still hold resilience to anything foreign, having long been kept from the modern world and are stuck in their old ways," his general answered.

"Do they posses any evidence of rebellion or full out war?"

The general cleared his throat before continuing. "If they held a desire too, they would be incapable of doing so. We have made sure of it by ridding the poles of all their weaponry and their water benders. From the information we hold we are able to confirm that the water bender who travels with the avatar is the last of her kind. Once we get our hands on the avatar she will be done for and we will be able to label the water-benders an extinct species once and for all."

The Fire Lord breathed in deeply before speaking. "So let me get this straight. For nearly one hundred years the Fire Nation has been at war with the rest of the world, conquering it, and subduing all other races of bending. How is it that a nation as great as this remains unsuccessful after all this time?"

The table of generals remained silent; staring at one another nervously hoping another would have the answer. No one did.

Gritting his teeth Fire Lord Kenzin spoke once more. "While our nation's greatness is unlimited our resources are not! These are all orders to all of you and your men: Find the Avatar and his followers and secure every single corner of this earth with your men, use whatever means necessary and take down anyone that stands in your way. Show no mercy or else you yourself will receive none! Is that clear?"

"Yes sir!" they all responded simultaneously.

"Then this meeting is adjourned!"

* * *

A/N: Well there you have it, another chappie! Hope you enjoyed! please pretty please review and by review I mean what do you want the next chapter to cover? I have a lot of points to hit in this story and some advice is always helpful! So please take five minutes or less to leave a review and I will love you forever!

~Till next time!


	7. Chapter 6: Bittersweet Reunions

**The Reawakening**

**Chapter 6**

**Bittersweet Reunions**

"Hey buddy!" Aang shouted with glee as he embraced Appa's furry side. The beast moaned in appreciation, grateful that his master had returned. Momo whizzed in circles around all four of their heads, chirping happily.

Sokka stretched and yawned as he plopped down on his sleeping mat, "Its good to be back in the cave." Tossing his sword aside he laid down on the mat ready for sleep to claim him. The rest of the gang followed suit, it was now dark and they had a long day of walking and finding their camp again. They where tired of being lost, in more ways then one.

It didn't take long for snores to echo throughout the hollowness of the rocky structure. Aang lay curled up in Appa's plush fur and Toph was content sleeping on the bare rich earth. For Katara however, sleep eluded her that night. Her body weary from travel yet her mind refused to cease questioning the events that took place in the tomb the previous day.

Why did she feel like she had narrowly escaped death?

Was that really Zuko that held her in his arms?

Or was it all just a dream? A figment of her imagination?

She rolled around in her sleeping mat for who knows how long. She could not will her eyes to close. Finally she stood up and made her way to the entrance of the cave, through the branches of the trees she could feel the power of the moon's glow on her skin and in her veins. It was joyous to be alive and a water-bender under the power of the moon.

She relished in her water-bending abilities, savoring them ever since she was a small child. She knew that she was special, that she was the last of her kind. She knew that it was because of her dying gift that her mother had died and she did not want her mother's sacrifice to be in vain. She used her gift, fighting for the sake of the world, for peace and hope. She hoped her mother would be proud of her.

Breathing in the crisp night air, a breeze rustled through her long dark locks. Once more she felt as if she wasn't alone. A shadow amongst the trees, a mere figure that appeared before her and in the blink of an eye disappeared from view.

She blinked her eyes several times, running her hands across her face. Was she going insane? Why did the darkness of the tomb seemed to resonate within her even though she had long since departed from its dreary corridors.

Staring for a final time into the darkness of the woods once more she turned away and made her way back into the safety of the cave.

()()()()()()()()()()

It didn't take him long to find a town with decent supplies and even easier to find a careless vendor making it easy to swipe a few essentials for his journey.

In less then an hour he had obtained a fresh pair of clothes which consisted of a deep red tunic, trousers and boots, some food, and same sharpening and polishing tools for his swords. He also managed to swipe a jet-back, hooded cloak last minute in order to look less conspicuous.

He felt bad stealing, especially once a hungry child tugged at his cloak begging for food. Procuring the fresh loaf of bread from his knapsack he gave it to the child, who immediately rushed off to share it with some fellow orphans hiding in the alley. The effect's of the war on his people hadn't ceased in the past hundred years, poverty, hunger, and orphans still meandered throughout the streets of the cities. While the rich grew fat in their manors and palaces, no doubt.

Turning around he headed back to the merchant's stand which he had just stolen from seconds ago. Approaching the stall with his face hidden beneath the cloak's hood the vendor looked at him accusingly and shouted, "Thief! You stole from me! Don't think I don't recognize my own merchandise!"

He heard guards scuffling behind him, closing in on him. Reaching into his tunic he pulled out a small coin purse and tossed it to the vendor. "That should be more then enough!" he said darkly before turning away walking through the crowd of guards that had assembled and stared at him dumbfounded.

The vendor fumbled with the small yet heavy pouch, surprised at the actions of the hooded man. Pulling at the strings he opened it, only to find a pile of the purest gold coins that he had ever seen. He nearly fainted where he stood, the hooded man could have bought his whole stall, yet he only bought a few essentials and shared his food with the neighborhood orphans. His eyes turned to the street ahead, looking for the cloaked figure, but he had disappeared.

Who was the man?

Procuring a gold nugget from the pouch he examined it closely, biting it between his teeth checking to see if it was real and holding it close to his eye observing the intricate engraving.

The whole purse fell to the ground due to the merchant's shock. Delicately carved onto the face of the coin was the profile of Fire Lord Ozai.

The breath of the vendor caught in his throat. Where the legends really true? Had the lost prince finally returned?

()()()()()()()()()()

"Are you sure that its the brightest idea to go into town again? Especially right after we where pretty much banished from the last one less then a week ago?" Toph questioned from her position on her ground, leaning against the cave wall.

"Well would you rather starve to death in this cave?" Sokka retorted.

"Or would you rather die or get arrested while trying to get food?" Toph retorted back.

"Sokka I don't think going into town is the brightest idea, especially when their neighbors know that we are around." Katara cut in.

"Yeah, we should lay low for awhile and change positions. We need to tiptoe around this place, until we figure out our next plan of attack," Aang added, agreeing with the water bender he had grown fond of these past few years.

"But I'm hungry!" Sokka whined, slumping down onto his sleeping mat.

"Well you could always go fishing. Don't you like to fish?" Katara suggested to her brother.

"Yeah but fish doesn't fill you up, it only temporary sustains you."

"Well I'm afraid that will have to be our survival tactic, until things are a lot safer. If we go into town and get arrested they probably won't feed us anything in prison, but if we stay out here at least you'll get to eat since you know how to hunt," Aang explained wisely.

With a sigh Sokka stood from his mat, grabbed his fishing pole and made his way from the cave to the nearest stream just beyond the brush.

Once he was out of earshot, Katara turned to Aang and said, "We can't go on like this forever Aang."

"Yeah Twinkletoes," Toph interjected. " When and where is our next plan of attack?"

Aang sighed, looking down at the floor of the cave. "I wish I knew. Zuko was always good at stuff like this."

()()()()()()()()()

Sokka sighed as he lowered the string of his fishing rod into the calm water, hoping that a fish would bite soon due to the growl in his stomach. After a period of long un-interrupted silence he began to whistle, hoping to forget his nagging hunger and his imprisoned sweetheart and family.

Time seemed to blur together, he didn't know how much time had passed. Suddenly he heard a twig snap in the woods surrounding him. He snapped up from his sitting place on the bank. "Guys?" he asked to the supposedly empty wood.

Another twig. A bristle of leaves. A bush shaking. He knew he wasn't alone and it only took a few seconds for fear to overtake him completely.

()()()()()()()()()()

"Hey have you guys seen Sokka?" Katara asked, a basket in her hands filled with berries from a nearby bush.

"You mean he isn't back yet?" Aang asked.

"No he's been gone for awhile. I'm getting worried about him," Katara said, expressing concern for her older sibling.

"Give him time Sugar Queen. He'll probably stay there until he has enough fish to fill up that abnormal stomach of his!"

Katara nodded solemnly, unable to shake the worry from her system.

Minutes turned into hours as the sun slowly began to set, slowly setting the atmosphere on fire. The gang hunkered down in the cave, nibbling at the berries Katara had gathered, waiting for Sokka to return with the fish. Appa moaned and Momo chirped and purred, only the animals felt the need to break the silence.

Suddenly it was shattered. Heavy metal boots pounding against the earthen floor. The clinks and clangs of metal as branches came into contact with armor. The earth shook beneath their feet as they remained, frozen in the cave with fright. Then suddenly it stopped.

A booming voice soon echoed throughout the cavern. "AVATAR AANG! WE KNOW YOU ARE IN THERE AND WE HAVE YOU SURROUNDED! COME OUT AND SURRENDER ALONG WITH YOUR COMPANIONS AND THEY, AS WELL AS THE ONE WE HOLD IN OUR CUSTOY, WILL REMAIN UNHARMED AS LONG AS YOU COOPERATE!"

"Please don't tell me this is the end?" Toph asked, her heart sinking.

"I'm sorry everyone! No one else will get hurt because of me."

Slowly they made their way out of the cave, where a squadron of Fire Nation soldiers waited for them. Amidst the line of soldiers they saw a struggling Sokka, who was bound and gagged within the arms of the soldiers. His blue eyes pleaded for them to forgive, knowing that he was forced to lead them to their camp. He was forgiven, none of them wanted to see him dead.

"PUT YOUR HANDS ABOVE YOUR HEAD!" the booming voice of the captain commanded. Even the smallest order sounded like a death sentence.

A small group of soldiers broke away from the main squadron, advancing toward the three at the cave's entrance. Katara did her best to not show fear, horror stories of fire nation prisons for water benders running rampant through her mind. She prayed that the guards couldn't sense her fear for herself and for her friends as well.

As the guards neared them, their hands on the heads in a form of surrender a sudden burst of fire shot out of nowhere, right in front of the soldiers causing them to flinch back in surprise.

"NO BENDING!" the captain barked as the fire died away.

"It wasn't me sir," Aang responded timidly as the guards continued their approach.

Another burst of fire appeared, this time much larger, surrounding the guards and the entire platoon in an arena of flames and smoke. Aang, Katara, and Toph hunkered close together, trying to shield themselves from the onslaught of flames covering their mouths to avoid breathing in the smoke. Sokka curled in on his bound form, trying to crawl away from the flames that came within mere inches of his skin, the smoke suffocating him terribly in the oppressive heat.

The heat wave seemed to drag on forever. Katara felt as if her skin was on fire as the flames licked at her skin. Aang blew gusts of air, trying to keep the fire at bay but yet its sheer power was impossible to overcome. What on earth was going on? What kind of bender possessed this much power?

Peeling her eyes open, she managed to make out a black figure amidst the flames. The faceless figure gripped swords in his fists as he fought of the entire platoon, taking down each soldier one at a time. A sword swiped across ones chest, another received a spiral kick in the head, swords collided with another before being run through.

Katara was never one for killing, her tactic was usually to disarm. This man aimed to kill and it sacred her, yet so far it appeared as if he was saving them. it didn't take long for the platoon to disappear completely.

Slowly the fire began to disappear into the earth, thanks to a combination of all four benders abilities. Sokka lay in the middle of a patch of scorched earth, quivering in fear even as the fire vanished completely. A rush of cool evening air rushed over them as the scrimmage ended.

Katara rushed to her brother. " Sokka are you alright?" she nearly screamed as she removed his gag and began to undo his bindings.

"What the heck just happened?" was the first thing out of Sokka's mouth, his heart racing.

"Are you hurt?" Katara pestered as his bonds fell away. Sokka just shook his head as he sat up, staring at something behind his sister.

"Sokka what are you staring at?" Katara pestered, before Sokka raised a pointing finger. A complete look of disbelief running rampant across his face.

Slowly Katara turned around, to where their savior stood. A moderately tall man no older the Sokka based on appearances, stood in the middle of the clearing, removing one of his twin blades from the chest of a dead soldier. His clothes where red, his hair jet black, obviously a man of Fire Nation blood. He raised his head toward the water tribe siblings, the brightest eyes of gold Katara had ever seen met her blue orbs.

Was she really seeing ghosts again? Or was it really him? Had a dead man come back to life?

Across the clearing Toph was coughing up a lungful of smoke. Aang was too busy with helping Toph get fresh air into her lungs, to notice the man behind him. Once the earth bender was finally breathing easy again he stood and turned around, his grey eyes growing wide with surprise.

"ZUKO!" He screeched happily, rushing over the fire bender in a gust of wind, embracing him in a deathly tight embrace. Zuko was nearly knocked over as the air-bender locked his arms and legs around his chest. "I can't believe it! Your alive!"

"Hey Aang!" Zuko replied timidly, barely able to breath.

Aang let go of his old friend. "Tell me everything Sifu Hotmen!" he began eagerly. "How are you here? I just saw your tomb? Katara said you where a ghost! Though I doubt a ghost could handle that much fire power and take out those men. What on earth is going on? What happened to you since I last saw you? How on earth are you still alive?"

The questions flowed out of Aang like a waterfall, nearly drowning Zuko in the process.

"Aang!" Zuko interjected. "Calm down I'll explain everything." His eyes glanced over at Katara. "…almost everything," he added. "But first we need to get moving and find a new camp site. This sector of the Fire Nation isn't safe anymore."

* * *

A/N: The avatar is back...and so am I with this story! I've been meaning to update this story forever, but I got distracted with other fandoms, stories, and life and all in all kind lost my drive with ATLA and sadly Zutara, not that I don't ship it, I'm just not that psyched about it anymore. Needless to say the new series literally reawakened my drive to finish this story. Of course there is still a long ways to go since I'm only six chapters in. But i hoped I haven't lost your interest yet.

Since my last update I started college. I still write and am studying to be an author, hopefully fiction or poetry. I have more free time on campus, but I can get unexpectedly busy. Currently for my other fics I try to update on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. I'll try to work this one in, but there are no garuntees.

So please review and lemme know what you think! Either this story or the new series that was just released. Either way I'll be happy to hear from you! :)


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